Eyeglasses holder for pockets



Dec. 3l, 1963 B. BLAIR i y3,115,687-

EYEGLASSES HOLDER FOR POCKETS Filed NOV. 5, 1952 Fagf.

ATTORNEYS and attractive in appearance.

United States Patent O 3,115,687 EYEGLASSES HLDER FR IOCKETS Benton Blair, East Woodstock, Conn., assignor of twentytive percent to Farnham Blair, Arlington, Va. Filed Nov. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 235,358 3 Claims. (Ci. 24-3) This invention relates to a device which retains eyeglasses in the pocket of a user when the pocket is inverted.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a device for retaining eyeglasses in the pocket of the user which is simple in construction and practical and efficient in use. Another object is to provide a device having the above characteristics which is inexpensive to manufacture both from the standpoint of labor and materials used. Still another object is to provide a device of the above character which is durable and well able to withstand continuous hard usage. A further object is to provide a device of the above character which will be neat Another object is to provide a device of the above character which will remain in the breast pocket of a shirt or other garment when eyeglasses are removed therefrom. A still further object is to provide a device of the above character on which the user may easily mount or remove his eyeglasses. Another object is to provide a device which is particularly designed for carrying eyeglasses in the breast pocket of a shirt or similar pocket. Still another object is to provide a device of the above character which will prevent the users eyeglasses from falling out of the users pocket when the user bends down or otherwise inverts the pocket in which the eyeglasses are carried. Another object is to provide a device of the above character which includes means to prevent the device from falling out of a shirt or similar pocket when the user bends down and inverts the pocket. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described, and the scope of the application which will be indicated in the following claims.

Briey, the invention consists of a device designed to be carried in the breast pocket of a shirt or similar pocket in any other garment for carrying eyeglasses. The device has frictional means which prevent it from being withdrawn from the pocket when the eyeglasses are removed therefrom. Furthermore, frictional means is provided to prevent eyeglasses from becoming detached from the device when the user bends down and inverts the case.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features of this invention, many people who use eyeglasses for special purposes, for example, sunglasses and reading glasses, take their eyeglasses olf and put them on many times a day. Because of the bulk of the normal case, these persons do not use a case and carry their glasses in the breast pocket of their suit or shirt because they may be easily inserted into or removed from these pockets. This practice has a major disadvantage in that eyeglasses slide out of this type of pocket when a person bends down. This often results in damage to the frame or lenses and, at times, causes lens breakage. In addition, many eyeglasses are lost when the user is unaware that the eyeglasses have been dropped or when they are dropped in an inaccessible place such as deep water. It is, accordingly, a further object of this invention to provide a device which does not add materially to the bulk of an eyeglass frame and which will retain the frame in the breast pocket of a shirt or similar pocket when the user bends down.

Referring now to the drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention:

lshape of such pockets when in use.

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the device;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross section taken on the line 3 3 of FIG. 1, the device being positioned in a pocket shown in cross section;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross section of the device positioned in the breast pocket of a shirt having a pair of eyeglasses mounted on the device; and

FIG. 5 is a view of a portion of FIG. 4 on an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 6 is a section similar to the section of the device shown in FIG. 3 but of another embodiment of my invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring to FIGS. l and 2, the device includes a flexible supporting member 1t). The height of the device is approximately the depth of the average breast pocket and its Width is slightly greater than the width of the pocket in which it is to be used. The vertical edges of member 10 are serrated to provide rows of teeth 11 and 12. In use, these teeth engage the vertical seams 15 and 16 (FIG. 3) of a breast pocket generally indicated at 13 and prevent the device from sliding out of the pocket when a person bends down or when the glasses are removed from the device.

The center section of member 1t) has a resilient cushion member 14 mounted on it in any suitable manner such as by an adhesive. Cushion member 4 is made of a material which cannot be crushed and which will retain its resilience over a long period of time, such as sponge rubber. As will be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, member 14 extends from the top to the bottom of member 10 so that it will be ready for use no matter which end of the device is inserted into a pocket first.

In use, the device is inserted into breast pocket 13 (FIG. 4). Because member 1t) is wider than the width of the pocket between seams 15 and 16 (FIG. 3) the .points of rows of teeth 11 and 12 engage seams 15 and 16.

In use, it has been found that even if the teeth 11 and 12 are not pressed into contact with the seams of the average pocket they still prevent the device from falling or being pulled out of a breast pocket because of the irregular After the device is positioned in a pocket, the eyeglasses, generally indicated at 17 (FIGS. 4 and 5), are mounted on the device by rst folding the temples against the front 18 of the frame. Then the eyeglasses are slid into the pocket with the outermost temple 19 (FIG. 4) positioned on one side of the device and the innermost temple Ztl and front 18 positioned on the other side.

As the lower end of the temple 19 is held against the rear surface of the device by the material 21 of the shirt, the upper end of the device is clamped between the forward end of temple 19 and the rear end of temple 20 and the front. Because of the resilience of member 14, member 14 is compressed and the eyeglasses thus grip the upper end of the device. Because of the light weight of the average pair of eyeglasses, very little gripping action is necessary to hold the glasses on the device when the pocket is inverted. Thus the thickness of member 14 is such that it provides adequate friction to hold the glasses on the device and at the same time permits the eyeglasses to be easily mounted on or removed from the holder. It should here be pointed out that the device could be made of a material which would have both the thickness and resilience necessary for the clamping action and the strength necessary for vertical support. Thus, members 1t) and 14 could be a single member.

Referring now to FIGURE 6 in which another embodiment of my invention is shown, a exible supporting memanlass? ber 22 is covered with a cushion member, generally indicated at 2.3, made of a resilient material, such as sponge rubber. The vertical dimension of member 22 is the same as member (FIG. 1). Instead of teeth I1 and 12, the vertical edges of `member 22 are straight. As is shown in FIGURE 6, material 23 extends around the vertical edges 22a and 22h of supporting member 22 to form friction-producing edges 23a and 2319. Thus, material 23 `-is of double thickness along the vertical edges of support 22, and when the device is inserted in a pocket, the lresilient friction producing material 23 engages the pocket along its vertical seams. A frame is mounted on this device in the same manner as on the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 to 5 and it draws the seams of the pocket toward each other as the frame moves the center of the pocket outwardly. This moves the material of the pocket into engagement with the vertical edges of the device and holds it in a pocket when the pocket is inverted or when eyeglasses are removed from the device.

Thus, it will be seen that a device has been disclosed which is inexpensive to manufacture, which is easy to use and which, in use, will retain a pair of eyeglasses in a shirt or breast pocket when a person bends down. Furthermore, the device remains in the pocket when the frame is withdrawn. Additionally, this device does not have the bulk of clipetype and other cases now in use.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinabove vset forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative `and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a device for holding a pair of eyeglasses including temples hinged to a frame in a pocket, in combination, a flexible supporting member, friction producing means on said supporting member for preventing said supporting member from sliding out of a pocket when said pocket is inverted, and means forming a resilient, compressible portion adjacent the upper edge of said member, said resilient portion, when positioned in said pocket with one of the temples of said eyeglass frame positioned on one side thereof and the remainder of said eyeglass frame ypositioned on the other side thereof, being clamped between said temple and the remainder of said frame adjacent said hinged connection, the friction created by said clamping action holding said frame on said device when said pocket is inverted.

2. In a device for'holding an eyeglass frame including temples hinged to said frame in the breast pocket of a garment, -or similar pocket, in combination, a flexible supporting member, said member having at least one friction producing external surface compressible along its kupper edge, said member being of substantially the same size in width and length as the pocket in which the device is used, the friction producing external surface of said device creating sufficient friction with the interior of said pocket to hold said device in a pocket when said frame is removed from the device and to prevent said device with said eyeglass frame thereon from sliding out of said pocket when said pocket is inverted, said member, when positioned in said pocket with one of the temples of the eyeglass frame positioned on one side thereof and extending downwardly into the pocket and the remainder of the frame on the other side of the device, being clamped between said one of the temples and the remainder of said frame adjacent the hinged connection, said pocket holding said frame in clamped relationship with respect to said device, said clamping action creating sufficient friction to hold said frame on said device when said pocket is inverted.

3. In a device for holding an eyeglass frame including temples hinged to said frame in the breast pocket of a garment, or similar pocket, in combination, a flexible supporting member, said member having at least one friction producing external surface compressible along its upper edge, said member being of substantially the same size in width and length as the pocket in which the device is used, the friction producing external surface of said device creating sufficient friction with the interior of said pocket to hold said device in the pocket when a frame is removed from the device and to prevent said device with said eyeglass frame thereon from sliding out of a pocket when said pocket is inverted, said member, when positioned in a pocket with one of the temples of said eyeglass frame positioned on one side thereof and extending downwardly into the pocket and the remainder of the frame on the other side of the device, being clamped between said temple adjacent the hinge thereof and the remainder of said frame, said pocket holding said frame in clamped relationship with respect to said device, said clamping action creating sufficient friction to hold said frame on said device when said pocket is inverted, said device having serrated vertical edges, said serrated edges aiding in retaining said device in the pocket when said frame in use is removed `from said device.

References Cited -in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 627,056 Everett June 13, 1899 938,764 Heinley Nov. 2, 1909 1,265,824 Smith May 14, 1918 1,470,816 Curtin Oct. 16, 1923 2,890,507 Rainwater Iune 1S, 1959 2,941,268 Morse June 21, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,123,329 France June 11, 1956 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR HOLDING A PAIR OF EYEGLASSES INCLUDING TEMPLES HINGED TO A FRAME IN A POCKET, IN COMBINATION, A FLEXIBLE SUPPORTING MEMBER, FRICTION PRODUCING MEANS ON SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER FOR PREVENTING SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER FROM SLIDING OUT OF A POCKET WHEN SAID POCKET IS INVERTED, AND MEANS FORMING A RESILIENT, COMPRESSIBLE PORTION ADJACENT THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID MEMBER, SAID RESILIENT PORTION, WHEN POSITIONED IN SAID POCKET WITH ONE OF THE TEMPLES OF SAID EYEGLASS FRAME POSITIONED ON ONE SIDE THEREOF AND THE REMAINDER OF SAID EYEGLASS FRAME POSITIONED ON THE OTHER SIDE THEREOF, BEING CLAMPED BETWEEN SAID TEMPLE AND THE REMAINDER OF SAID FRAME ADJACENT SAID HINGED CONNECTION, THE FRICTION CREATED BY SAID CLAMPING ACTION HOLDING SAID FRAME ON SAID DEVICE WHEN SAID POCKET IS INVERTED. 